The Abel Prize

The Abel Prize is awarded annually by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

The Abel Prize is an international prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics, including mathematical aspects of computer science, mathematical physics, probability, numerical analysis and scientific computing, statistics, and also applications of mathematics in the sciences.

The prize recognizes contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences. Such work may have resolved fundamental problems, created powerful new techniques, introduced unifying principles or opened up major new fields of research. The intent is to award prizes over the course of time in a broad range of fields within the mathematical sciences.

In addition to honoring outstanding mathematicians, the Abel Prize shall contribute towards raising the status of mathematics in society and stimulating the interest of children and young people in mathematics.

John F. Nash Jr. and Louis Nirenberg received the 2015 Abel Prize from His Majesty King Harald V at the award ceremony in Oslo on 19 May. Photo: Berit Roald/NTB Scanpix

The Abel Prize Laureates

2017: Yves Meyer, École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, France, for “for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets.”

2016: Sir Andre Wiles, Oxford University, "for his stunning proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem by way of the modularity conjecture for semistable elliptic curves, opening a new era in number theory."

2015: John F. Nash Jr., Princeton University, USA, and Louis Nirenberg, Courant Institute, New York University, USA, "for striking and seminal contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its applications to geometric analysis."

2013: Pierre Deligne, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USA "for seminal contributions to algebraic geometry and for their transformative impact on number theory, representation theory, and related fields."

2012: Endre Szemerédi, Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest "for his fundamental contributions to discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science, and in recognition of the profound and lasting impact of these contributions on additive number theory and ergodic theory."

2011: John Milnor, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York "for pioneering discoveries in topology, geometry and algebra."

2010: John Torrence Tate,University of Texas at Austin "for his vast and lasting impact on the theory of numbers."

2008: John Griggs Thompson, Graduate Research Professor, University of Florida and Jacques Tits, Professor Emeritus, Collège de France"for their profound achievements in algebra and in particular for shaping modern group theory."

2007: Srinivasa S. R. Varadhan, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York "for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviations."

2006: Lennart Carleson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden “for his profound and seminal contributions to harmonic analysis and the theory of smooth dynamical systems.”

2005: Peter D. Lax, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University “for his groundbreaking contributions to the theory and application of partial differential equations and to the computation of their solutions.”

2004: Sir Michael Francis Atiyah, University of Edinburgh and Isadore M. Singer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology “for their discovery and proof of the index theorem, bringing together topology, geometry and analysis, and their outstanding role in building new bridges between mathematics and theoretical physics.”

2003: Jean-Pierre Serre,Collège de France, Paris, “for playing a key role in shaping the modern form of many parts of mathematics, including topology, algebraic geometry and number theory.”